Down In Chicago
by IReallyLoveSantana
Summary: Chicago doesn't want to be with Columbus and the rest of the survivors.  But she needs their help if she's going to survive.  She keeps up a wall of privacy, but when they finally break it down, the four zombie slayers learn something terrible. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. You are so going to die. _The voice in the girl's head told her. The zombies were completely surrounding her, their hungry arms reaching out towards her as she fired the last of her bullets into the ravenous horde. She was reduced to her fists and feet and knocked a zombie back onto its ass with a kick to the stomach. But it held onto her combat boot and brought her to the ground.

The girl cried out as her head collided with the pavement. For a moment she was blinded by stars, but heard a few non-snarling voices above her. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and she struggled against them. There was no goddamn way she was going to be a bloody, growling, ravenous freak.

The arms lifted the girl's body up and she found herself being thrown into an SUV. Looking around, she saw three uninfected humans staring at her. They all look concerned and the girl hated it.

Whoever had tossed her into the vehicle slammed the door shut and got into the driver's seat. The SUV lurched forward and took off, away from the zombies.

"Where you from?" A gruff voice came from the front of the vehicle. The girl hesitated before answering.

"Chicago." She said carefully, sitting up in the seat and finding a girl only a few years younger than herself sitting next to her.

"Then we're calling you Chicago." The rough voice replied.

Chicago. The name had a nice ring and so the girl decided to accept it.

"You didn't get bitten did you?" A voice came from the backseat behind Chicago. She whirled around to find a girl, maybe 24 or 25, sitting behind her. Chicago shook her head after inspecting herself. There were no holes in the black leather jacket or grey skinny jeans she was wearing, nor had her combat boots been torn off.

"Good, because I really didn't feel like having to shoot some kid today." She said, leaning back in her seat. Chicago looked at her skeptically, trying to determine if it was a joke or not, before turning back around.

"The mean old lady is Wichita, the younger one is Little Rock, little spit fuck up here is Columbus, and I'm Tallahassee." The man said from the front seat. Chicago nodded and looked out the window.

The car was quiet for awhile and Chicago was grateful for it; now she had time to think. She wasn't quite sure what to think about the people in the SUV with her. Sure, they had saved her from becoming a zombie, but that didn't mean that they could be trusted. And worst of all, now she probably appeared like she couldn't take care of herself, which she could. The zombies had taken her by surprise, which had never happened before, and she was on an ammo shortage.

When the sun finally set, Tallahassee stopped the car. The five survivors got out of the black vehicle and stretched. They had arrived at a small gas station and Tallahassee motioned for Chicago to follow him into the small store while the other three filled the gas tank up. She followed him.

"You like Twinkies Chicago?" Tallahassee asked, handing her a baseball bat he had brought out of the SUV with him. She nodded. Everyone likes Twinkies. Duh.

The two zombie killers cautiously entered the store and surveyed it. Suddenly, the door in the back flew open and a growling zombie came barreling out. Chicago ran forward without hesitation and cracked the bat over its head. The zombie fell to the floor and fell still with a few more hits from the bat.

"You are a brutal little fucker aren't you?" Tallahassee laughed, coming over to survey Chicago's work. The young girl smiled a bit before making her way to the back room to check for anymore cannibalistic diseased freaks. But there were no zombies to be found, and Chicago let her guard down.

"Jackpot!" Tall yelled as he found several two packs of Twinkies on one of the shelves. He grabbed all of them and made his was carefully out to the SUV.

Chicago grabbed a few cans of blue and orange Monster, as well as a few Redbulls, and followed Tallahassee out to the SUV.

Tallahassee and Chicago went back into the store to grab as many Hostess products as they could find and threw them into the vehicle. After the junk raid was over, they climbed in and Columbus took off.

"Chicago, would you care for a Twinkie?" Tallahassee offered, shoving one into his mouth. Chicago shook her head and returned her attention to the window.

In a matter of hours, everyone but Columbus, who was driving, and Chicago, was asleep.

"So, where are you headed?" Columbus asked after a long silence.

Chicago put her guard up as soon as Columbus started asking questions. "I was thinking about going back to Chicago." She said, taking another sip of the energy drink she had been chugging.

"Well, we aren't really going anywhere particular, so we could take you there." Columbus offered. Chicago nodded after some pondering.

"Thanks. That'll work, I guess." She said. "Do you want me to drive for awhile?" Chicago offered, noticing the heaviness of Columbus's eyelids. He nodded and pulled over to the side of the road.

Chicago and Columbus exchanged seats and he soon drifted off, leaning his head on Little Rock's shoulder. Chicago was a good driver; she had learned early on in the apocalypse. The caffeine buzz was keeping her going, and she drove until the sun came up over the horizon.

The rest of the group woke up at various times, Wichita first. She decided to try to talk to Chicago.

"So….what's up?" Wichita asked from the backseat. Chicago's eyes flickered to the rearview mirror for a moment before going back to the road.

"Nothing much." Chicago replied, her voice flat and emotionless. Wichita nodded, and then didn't say anything else.

Once everyone was awake, Chicago decided to stop at the next place she saw. Soon enough, they pulled up to a pit stop and got out. Everyone stretched their legs, or in Columbus's case, e_verything_ and made their way into the building.

What they thought was a pit stop was actually a small restaurant. For once, there were no zombies, and Chicago made her way into the kitchen. There were at least 20 boxes of instant pancake mix and she turned on the griddle. In 15 minutes, she had made enough pancakes for everyone and brought them out to the main area of the building.

All five of them ate their breakfast, everyone chatting idly and insulting one another…except Chicago. Just as they all finished, she spoke up.

"Thank you guys for saving me and all..but I'm going to go off alone." Chicago said, standing up and starting towards the door.

Little Rock looked at her sister, to Columbus, to Tallahassee. They all just watched as Chicago made her way out into the parking lot. Finally, she got up and followed her.

"Hey, wait up." Little Rock called after Chicago. The older girl had already gotten on a fallen motorcycle and started the engine.

Chicago looked at Little Rock curiously. "Why?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. Her hands gripped the handlebars impatiently.

"You don't even have a weapon. You won't make it. Stay with us, at least until Chicago. Please?" Little Rock said, making her eyes go a little softer.

Chicago tried to read Little Rock, but had no luck. She finally relented. "I guess I'll stay. Until Chicago that is."

_**Hey guys. Tell me what you think about this. I know this chapter is a bit boring, but I promise I'll make it more interesting. Please leave a review saying if you want to know what happens or not.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chicago reluctantly turned the bike off and followed Little Rock back into the restaurant. Everyone seemed surprised that she was back, including herself. Chicago didn't say anything, just sat down at the bar area and stared blankly at the wall.

In a couple of minutes, the group of five decided to head out. Before they left, Chicago went to the kitchen and began footing through the drawers. She produced two sharp tonged barbecue forks, which she decided to add to the weapon collection.

Chicago joined the rest of the zombie killers in the SUV. She took the very back seat and lay down, resting her head on the arm rest. She had a headache, and the slightest noise sounded like a gunshot. Chicago couldn't imagine what an actual gunshot would feel like, but she would find out soon enough.

The SUV kept on rolling until late in the afternoon, where they decided to make a pit stop. They were in Kansas City, and still had twelve hours of travel, without stops that is.

Everyone got out of the car and relieved their stiff muscles. Chicago shot weary glances at them all before wandering off on her own, barbecue forks in hand.

"I don't trust her." Wichita said as soon as Chicago was out of earshot. Little Rock turned to give her a questioning look.

"Why?" The younger of the two sisters asked. She found Chicago untrusting, not untrustful.

"For one, she seems to hate us. And two, she hasn't let us know anything about herself except where she's from." Wichita explained, leaning up against the side of the SUV.

"Like we were any more trusting than she's being." Little Rock argued. She didn't find Chicago particularly pleasant to be around, but she couldn't exactly blame her. One of the first things you learn in Zombieland is that you don't trust just anyone.

"Whoa, sounds like Little Rock's got a girl crush." Tallahassee taunted, chuckling. Little Rock aimed a kick at his shin, causing the cowboy to swear under his breath and limp away.

"I don't have a girl crush. But she's obviously messed up about something." Little Rock snapped back. Her sister looked surprised at her sibling's defensiveness, but shook it off.

"If you want to trust her, that's your choice. But I'm not exactly going to be welcoming her into the family any time soon." Wichita replied somewhat coldly. This was the first disagreement she and her sister had gotten in since the zombie outbreak.

Wichita walked off after a few moments of silence. They had stopped at a Sheetz, and she was fucking starving. The 24 year old cautiously walked into the store and searched around. Suddenly, a loud snarl broke the silence and two zombies came staggering out from behind the sales counter. IN her slight argument with her sister, she had forgotten to bring a weapon.

Columbus had followed his girlfriend into the store and seeing that she had foolishly forgotten her gun, he quickly took out the two growling freaks with a baseball bat. As Wichita turned to him, he gave her a small smile and they walked further into the store.

After performing the mandatory Twinkie check and finding none, Wichita and Columbus hopped up onto the sales counter and started talking.

"What do you think of her?" Wichita questioned. She swung her feet back and forth, creating small thuds when they collided with the front of the counter.

Columbus took awhile before answering. "I think she's distant, mysterious. She's quiet, but tough. I don't see any real reason to trust her or not trust her. I can tell she doesn't trust us, but that's kind of to be expected." He said, choosing his words carefully.

Wichita nodded and looked down at her swinging feet. "I don't know. I think she's hiding something." She shook her head and looked back up.

Columbus wasn't sure why Wichita was so against Chicago, but he wasn't exactly going to challenge it. He got up and pulled her lightly off of the counter, holding her hand lightly.

A low growl interrupted the somewhat touching moment and a zombie came racing from the back of the store. Columbus looked around frantically for his bat, but he realized he had dropped it after offing the other two freaks. And the zombie had closed in on them.

Chicago leapt up from her quickly chosen hiding spot. As soon as the couple walked in, she had ducked down in the back of the store and hid. She had heard the whole conversation, but decided not to mention it.

Chicago sprinted as quickly as she could up to the counter and drove one of the barbecue forks into the zombie's head. It screeched and blood sputtered out of its mouth moment before it died. Chicago ripped the fork out and wiped the blood on the zombie's shirt.

"Thanks." Wichita said quietly, now realizing the younger girl had heard everything she had said.

"Don't mention it." Chicago replied as she walked back to the freezer section of the store. She selected a few energy drinks, though she still had plenty in the back seat of the SUV. After she picked out the cans, she exited the store without looking at Wichita or Columbus.

Tallahassee and Wichita stood at the SUV, waiting for their companions to come back out. They argued about who would get the Kill of the Week and over country music. Tall rolled his eyes when Taylor Swift was brought up.

"You know, if I see that blonde haired wannabe country girl I will kill her whether she's a zombie or not." Tallahassee said, doing a quick roundhouse into the air in front of him. Little Rock rolled her eyes and gave him a look.

Chicago stepped out into the sunlight and squinted against it. She tossed the drinks into the backseat and then turned to look at Tallahassee.

"Zombie Kill of the Week?" She asked, referring to her barbecue fork attack in Sheetz. Tallahassee was surprised at the mere fact that she had spoken, let alone that she had made a joke.

"I guess you can have it. Consider it an initiation." He laughed. He was beginning to like the kid more and more, but he still decided to keep an eye on her. Maybe Wichita was right, but maybe she wasn't. Tallahassee didn't find anything exactly incriminating about her, but of course that didn't mean she was as innocent as a bunny rabbit. NO one in Zombieland is exactly innocent.


	3. Chapter 3

Columbus and Wichita came out of Sheetz a few minutes after Chicago. Wichita looked slightly guilty, while Columbus just looked nervous. But that was nothing new.

Everyone else had already gotten into the SUV, and had settled into their positions. Chicago resided in the back again, sipping at a Redbull and staring out of the tinted window. Her eyes didn't flicker away from the glass when Columbus and Wichita climbed in.

Tallahassee drove, talking with Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock about things Chicago didn't really understand, or care to. She emptied two energy drinks in an hour of driving, and didn't speak a single word. No one in the car could understand how she could ingest so much caffeine and remain so calm. But her facial expression never changed, and her eyes rarely broke away from the window as she watched the wrecked towns and buildings that they passed.

It wasn't until they had been driving for two hours that Chicago did something other than down Redbull. Slowly, she leaned forward and whispered into Wichita's ear. "Just so you know, I don't trust you either."

Wichita flinched as the younger girl spoke in a hushed tone. She wasn't sure if it was sarcasm, or what. There had been somewhat of a coating of ice over her voice, and it had definitely left an effect on her.

Wichita turned her head slowly to steal a glance at Chicago. The 15 year old had turned sideways on the seat, propping her feet up on the side of the car, while resting her head on the armrest. Her expression still hadn't changed, and she resumed staring out the window.

Three hours later the sun had set, and they looked for a place to spend the night. Tallahassee drove around until he found an estate that had a fairly large mansion. It was obvious that the cowboy liked to stay in style. He was pleased with the house selection and hurriedly grabbed two guns out of the back of the SUV. Tall tossed one to Chicago, who had just gotten out of the car.

"Come on." Tallahassee motioned her forward and Chicago followed with little hesitation. They walked through the gravel drive way, the rocks crunching under their feet. As the two got up on the porch, Chicago stopped the cowboy and pressed the doorbell. Soon enough, they heard several growls and the thud of footsteps hurtling towards the door.

Tallahassee backed up so he was standing about three feet back in front of the doorway. Chicago waited a few seconds before opening the door. Two zombies came out, blood dripping from their mouths and ready to sink their teeth into the next human they could. Tallahassee fired two rounds into their skulls, and they dropped dead inches in front of him.

"I'm getting too good at this." Tall laughed, stepping over the bodies. Chicago smiled slightly before heading through the doorway.

The rest of the house was clear, and Chicago picked a room to stay in. It had two twin size beds, and a dresser. Chicago sat the assault rifle on the dresser and sat down on one of the beds. She hunched over and rested her elbows on her thighs. Her hands hung limply down in-between her legs and she brought them up to her face. She rubbed her eyes and forehead tiredly, and then reached into her pocket.

Wichita walked with her sister through the house. They seemed to have made up without speaking, and were debating what bedroom to use. They passed Chicago's room and saw her, head bent over and looking at something in her hands. When Wichita looked closer, she saw that the younger girl was silently crying.

Wichita ushered her sister past the doorway and then to the end of the hallway, where there was another bedroom, this one with a king sized bed. Both of the girls were exhausted, and Little Rock wasted no time crawling into the bed. She looked at her older sister expectantly.

"I'm going to go say goodnight to Columbus." Wichita said, seeing her sister's questioning look. Little Rock raised her eyebrows a few times and laughed. Wichita shook her head and smiled before walking out.

Wichita walked slowly towards Chicago's bedroom. When she reached the door, she peeked hesitantly in to see Chicago in the same position, except she had stopped the tears and put whatever she was looking at away.

"Can I come in?" Wichita asked. Chicago snapped her head up in surprise and then nodded hesitantly. Wichita walked in slowly and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Sorry about earlier today." Wichita said quietly. Chicago had gone back to her leaned over position and glanced at the older girl out of the corner of her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." The 15 year old mumbled. She joined her hands together and played with her thumbs.

"So, do you want to talk about anything?" Wichita asked, wishing that Chicago would at least turn to look at her instead of the occasional sideways glance.

Chicago shook her head a few times and then sat up.

"Look, I saw you a few minutes ago. You were looking at something and crying." Wichita said. She got an immediate reaction, as Chicago's head immediately snapped towards her.

"And that means I would want to talk to _you_, of all people about it?" Chicago said coldly, her eyes hardening.

That set Wichita off. "Well how are any of us supposed to trust someone who only told us what city she's from, and might possibly be retarded?" She yelled. The older of the two had stood up.

Before she could even flinch, Chicago had leapt up from the bed and slammed her fist into Wichita's cheek. The older girl immediately struck back, but her fist missed when Chicago ducked.

Tall and Columbus came rushing to the room, as well as Little Rock, when they heard the shouts. Seeing what was happening, they tore the now full out brawling girls apart. Columbus held his girlfriend back and tried to calm her down as she caught her breath.

Chicago struggled to slow her heart rate as Tallahassee held her arms back. She managed to calm down and Tallahassee released her arms.

Columbus led Wichita out of the room and down to the main floor of the house. He decided to keep her and Chicago at opposite ends of the house for the rest of the night.

_**Hey guys, I'm not sure if I should continue this or not. Let me know!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chicago woke up early in the morning and changed into a pair of grey skinny jeans and a V-neck. She grabbed her jacket, pulled it on, and then grabbed a black backpack that she had packed the night before. Chicago slung it onto her back and then crept downstairs. She had just rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs when she came face to face with Wichita.

"Where are you going?" The older girl asked. She had noticed the backpack and the fact that Chicago had her boots on.

"I'm getting the fuck away from you." Chicago snarled, shoving past Wichita. She was stopped as the older girl yanked her backwards and slammed her up against the wall.

"Look, I'm sorry for freaking out on you last night. But you have kept every little detail of yourself a secret." Wichita whispered, careful not to wake the others in the house.

"You don't want to know anything about me." The younger girl replied somewhat bitterly. Wichita frowned.

"If you leave, my sister's going to flip. So you can either stay and have me trust you, or we can keep this little battle up." Wichita told her.

"Alright, alright. You want to know about my life? Fine. When this whole thing started, I lived with my dad and my little sister, who had Down's syndrome. And when the outbreak started, I got separated from her and my father, who always treated her like shit. So know I have to go back, even though I know he probably let her fucking die." Chicago's voice cracked once towards the end, and Wichita felt a pang of pity for the poor girl.

"I'm so sorry." Wichita said, releasing her grip on Chicago's jacket.

"Don't be. I didn't tell you to get a pity party. And if you tell any of them, I swear to God I'll walk out." Chicago warned. But she set her back pack down and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Wichita sat down in the seat next to Chicago and the two sat in silence for awhile. It wasn't necessarily comfortable, but it wasn't hostile anymore, like it used to be. They sat together until the others in the house finally woke up.

* * *

><p>Tallahassee came down into the kitchen and then took a step back as he saw the two girls at the table.<p>

"Woah. You two aren't goin' to try to kill each other again, are you? Cause I surely did not appreciate the three scratches I received last night trying to save one of you from getting their hair ripped out." The cowboy said, showing the three long scratch marks down his forearm.

"Sorry there Tall." Chicago said, smirking. He returned the smirk and then sat down at the table next to her.

"So what's the plan for today?" He asked, fidgeting with his hat. Wichita and Chicago turned to each other and shrugged.

"I guess keep going to Chicago." Wichita said. The other two nodded.

* * *

><p>Later on, Columbus and Little Rock came down into the kitchen. They both looked at Wichita and Chicago carefully before sitting down.<p>

"So, what happened last night? I heard everyone yelling." Little Rock asked curiously. She could sense something was off.

"Nothing. I'm going for a walk." Chicago said, standing up quickly. She took a crowbar and an automatic shotgun off of the kitchen counter and walked out the door.

Little Rock stood up after Chicago and followed her outside.

"Hi." The younger of the two said as she walked up beside Chicago.

"Hey." Chicago replied quietly. She couldn't understand why Little Rock was so attached to her. If it wasn't for the kid, she probably would have left the group of survivors behind without a second thought.

"So, why'd you decide to come along?" Chicago asked, trying to make conversation. She hadn't needed to talk since the apocalypse, since zombies aren't the best listeners, so the art of small talk had been lost somewhere along the way.

"I was bored. And I wanted to talk to you." Little Rock replied. She was about to continue when a growl cut her off.

Chicago put her arm out in front of Little Rock to stop her and listened intently. They were probably 100 yards away from the house, next to an overgrown patch of brush. Sticks and leaves crunching came from the thick foliage.

Chicago handed Little Rock the gun and gripped the crowbar. Soon enough, a small horde of zombies came staggering out of the brush, snarling and dripping with blood. Chicago turned and actually _smiled _at Little Rock before charging the pack.

Little Rock watched in awe as Chicago brought the crowbar down onto a zombie's head, cracking it open. She whirled around and kicked a boot into another of the undead's chest, sending it flying backwards. It died with a squeal as it crashed into a tree and one of the sharp limps drove through its chest.

With two down and two to go, Chicago turned to Little Rock. The younger girl tossed the shotgun to her, and the older girl immediately fired buckshot straight into one of the freak's heads. It completely blew off, and the body dropped.

Before Chicago could turn around quickly enough, the last zombie tackled her, and Little Rock screamed. The shot gun was knocked out of Chicago's hand and it skidded across the ground. Chicago shoved the crowbar into the zombie's gnashing teeth that were suddenly inches from her face. She pressed backwards, trying to push it off of her, but the zombie held its ground.

Little Rock quickly picked up the shotgun and aimed at the zombie. She squeezed the trigger, only to hear a soft click. Realizing the gun was out of shells, she charged forward and slammed the butt of the gun into the back of the zombie's head.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Little Rock struck with the gun again, hearing the crack of a rotting skull. She still hadn't gotten completely used to all of the gore of Zombieland, so she kept her eyes shut.

Suddenly, the sound of the gun hitting head changed, and Little Rock opened her eyes. She gasped when she saw that Chicago was unconscious. She had struck her instead.

_**Sorry I haven't updates in while! Please leave some reviews and I'll try to update more often! Thanks!**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Chicago? Chicago wake up, please!" Little Rock nudged the older girl's shoulder. Blood was starting to trickle down Chicago's head. Oh God, what if she was dead? Little Rock needed help. But what was she supposed to do, just leave her there and get help?

Little Rock knew she had to leave Chicago to get help. Mind racing, she hurriedly drug Chicago off of the road, into the woods. Soon, she had the taller girl's body covered with leaves and sticks. "I'll be back soon, I promise." Little Rock told the unconscious teenager.

The 12 year old picked up the discarded shotgun up off of the road and then placed the crowbar next to Chicago, in case she woke up. Slinging the gun over her shoulder, she began jogging towards the house.

* * *

><p>After 15 minutes of straight sprinting, the house finally came into Little Rock's view. She was exhausted, possibly close to throwing up, and covered in sweat. And frankly, didn't care if she made too much noise. "CHRISTA!" She shouted, using all of the air in her lungs. In a couple of seconds, her big sister was out the door with her pistol drawn.<p>

"What's wrong?" Wichita asked, running towards her panting sister. The girl was doubled over, exhausted from running so hard.

"We got attacked-gasp-ran out of ammo-gasp-I hit her with the gun-gasp-she's unconscious." Little Rock managed to pant out. Her sister's eyes widened as she ran a hand comfortingly on her back.

"Columbus! Stay with Wichita. Tall, grab a gun and come with me!" Wichita shouted at the house. Immediately both men came running out of the house.

"Where is she?" Wichita asked the still panting girl. Little Rock finally stood up from her leaned over position.

"When you go out of the driveway, take a left. Just follow the road straight. She'll be on the left hand side under some leaves. There's a crowbar beside her." Little Rock explained quickly.

"Where did the gun hit her?" Wichita questioned, wondering if they were going to have to deal with a brain dead teenager.

"Her forehead. She was bleeding a lot, but it was an accident, I swear!" Little Rock's voice cracked and she was starting to tear up.

"I know hun. We're going to go get her, don't worry." Wichita told her little sister, kissing her on the forehead. Little Rock nodded.

"Let's go." Wichita said, turning to Tallahassee. He nodded anxiously and both of them began running down the road.

* * *

><p>"She can't be much farther than this. Look for the crowbar." Wichita said between deep breaths. They had been running for a while now, scanning the sides of the road for any sign of the unconscious teenager.<p>

A couple minutes later, Tallahassee caught sight of a crowbar. "There." He pointed it out to Wichita, who nodded. Both adults hurried towards the now visible pile of leaves.

Keeping careful, Tall and Wichita looked over their shoulders as the brushed the leaves off of Chicago's body. "She's got a pulse." Tallahassee said, putting his fingers to the girl's neck.

"Chicago, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Wichita said, taking one of the girl's hands. She got no response.

"We're going to have to carry her back." Wichita said, standing up. She winced as she saw the large cut and bruise on Chicago's forehead.

"I've got her." Tallahassee said, scooping the girl up in his arms. Her arms hung limply, swinging as he walked.

* * *

><p>It took at least 20 minutes for the three of them to make it back to the house. Little Rock and Columbus sat on the porch, waiting for their return. As soon as they saw them coming up the driveway, both of them ran out to meet them.<p>

"Is she okay?" Little Rock asked immediately, taking in Chicago's appearance.

"We don't know." Wichita replied, running a hand through her hair.

Tallahassee carried Chicago into the house, with the others following close behind, and walked up the stairs with her. He gently placed her on her bed and stepped back.

"Alright, we need medical stuff. Little Rock, there's a first aid kit under the sink in the kitchen. Go get it. Tall, do you have that little flashlight on you?" Wichita immediately began giving out orders. Tallahassee nodded and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small black flashlight. Wichita took it and clicked it on. She opened one of Chicago's eyes and shined the light in.

"Her pupils are dilating, so there's a good chance she doesn't have brain damage." Wichita said, turning the flashlight off and handing it back to Tallahassee.

Little Rock returned shortly with the first aid kit and gave it to her sister. She stepped back from the bed and held a hand to her mouth. Tallahassee wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder, a silent signal that it was going to be okay. She leaned against him and took in a shaky breath.

"Can everyone just give me some space here?" Wichita said irritably as she rooted through the first aid kit. Everyone stared at her in surprise, but then left the room reluctantly.

"Come on kid, wake up." Wichita said softly, wetting a piece of gauze with anti-septic. The girl didn't so much as stir as the gauze was pressed to her bloodstained forehead.

Wichita spent the next couple minutes wiping the dried blood from Chicago's face and patching up the large cut on her head. A huge bruise had formed, blackening her forehead.

The older girl sighed as she packed up the first aid kit. If she was in one of those comas where you get hit once and then never wake up again….what was she going to tell Little Rock? And even if Chicago did wake up, she was going to have a killer headache and it was going to take a while to recover. Maybe she should have just let her walk out this morning.

_**So that was interesting. And kind of sad. Oh well, every story needs its fillers. I really do apologize for not updating sooner. Life is crazy. But I do have a good excuse…..I've been training to run a 5k in which zombies chase you.**_


	6. Chapter 6

Wichita stepped out into the hallway several minutes later. She was surprised to not see any of the three who had previous been in the room. Wichita knew she had to check on Little Rock. Sighing, she walked to the room the girl was staying in.

"Hey, you alright?" Wichita asked as she stepped into her sister's room. The younger girl quickly wiped at her eyes and nodded.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right? If you hadn't done what you did, she would have been that zombie's snack. And I'm sure she'd rather get knocked out than end up like that." The older of the two said, lying down next to her on the bed. Her sister snugged up next to her, and Wichita could feel her take in a shaky breath.

"But what do we do if she doesn't wake up?" The younger girl asked. Wichita thought for a couple seconds.

"I think you know the answer to that bud." Wichita said solemnly.

"You mean…put her out of her misery?" Little Rock's voice shook.

"Yeah." Wichita nodded, wrapping her arm around the younger girl.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was spent with everyone keeping to themselves. Tallahassee chose to spend his time outside, shooting birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and everything that moved. Columbus opted to check out the previous residents' movie collection down in the furnished basement. Wichita checked in on Chicago every so often, though the girl hadn't moved an inch, and then spent the rest of her time reading a book, trying to distract herself from the day's events. Little Rock simply curled up in her bed.<p>

* * *

><p>Two and a half days passed, and Chicago still hadn't stirred. Wichita knew that dehydration was setting in, and they couldn't stay in the abandoned house forever. They were running out of food there anyway. Wichita was standing in the doorway to Chicago's room when Tallahassee came up behind her.<p>

"We're going to have to do it soon, ain't we?" The man's normally gruff voice was soft and had traces of sadness is it. Wichita swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Tomorrow morning, I was thinking. She just looks so….bad." Wichita said, shaking her head.

"Are you gonna do it, or do you want me to?" The man asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'll do it." Wichita's voice was strained, and she quickly turned and walked towards her room. Tallahassee opened his mouth to say something, but the words escaped him and he remained silent.

The tension that had plagued the house continued through the day. Nightfall came and everyone had started to realize that the chances of Chicago waking up were slim to none. They were sitting at the kitchen table when suddenly Little Rock spoke for the first time in at least a day.

"We don't even know her name."

The other three at the table lifted their heads to look at her. Tallahassee cleared his throat a bit and sniffed and he got up from the table with a gruff "'Scuse me." He quickly walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. A couple minutes later, they heard curse words being shouted and the sound of something metal being kicked over.

"Hell, she might have never told us her name. I think she liked the mystery." Columbus said, picking at the food on his plate. Wichita smirked and nodded.

"I think she would have wanted it this way. We all know she would have rather had anything than be turned into a zombie." Wichita said, turning to comfort her sister.

"But she's still going to be _dead._" Little Rock yelled, standing up. Both her sister and Columbus's eyebrows rose as she quickly stormed up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Not another word was murmured the rest of the night. Tallahassee eventually came back in the house, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He went upstairs to the room he had been residing in and came back down with every gun he had acquired along the way. The tall cowboy set about cleaning them, making the entire first floor of the house smell like gun cleaner. Columbus ended up wandering in and sat down to help. The sound of metal clicking against metal was the only sound in the house.<p>

Wichita walked back into Chicago's room and shut the door behind her. The older girl started pacing back and forth, running her fingers through her hair. Finally, she stopped next to the bed and sat down. "Chicago, _please._ Wake the fuck up." She said desperately, shaking the girl's motionless body. There was no response. "You don't get to do this to us! You can't just…just slip away and leave us like this! You know what'll it'll do to Little Rock and Tall and Columbus and…and me!" She yelled.

Wichita stood up and before she knew it, she had slapped Chicago across the face. Not hard, but enough to attempt to wake her. The girl's head now rested on its side, but her eyes didn't so much as flutter.

"Fuck." Wichita's voice cracked and she felt tears well in her eyes. She stood up and opened the door to the room. Little Rock was standing in the hallway, apparently having heard her sister. A couple seconds later, they had run towards each other and were locked in an embrace. Each of their sobs were muffled in the other's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Eventually, everyone turned to their rooms for the night. Eyes were red from crying and faces were splotchy. They all stayed awake, attempting to let sleep overtake them and eventually it did. Until a loud crash and then a yell woke them all up.<p>

_**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Please leave a review!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Wichita was the first one out of bed at the noise. She grabbed the pistol on her nightstand and checked that she had a full magazine before heading out into the hallway. The brunette slowly made her way down the hallway, motioning for Tallahassee to follow her when he stuck his head out of his room. A scuffling noise came from the bedroom Chicago was in and Wichita wasted no time in opening the door and bursting in.

"Holy shit." Tallahassee murmured as he looked over Wichita's shoulder. Chicago was attempting to pull herself up off the floor, as well as squinting into the beam of his flashlight. Wichita hurried forward and helped the younger girl up onto the bed again.

"What in fuck's name did you people do to me?" The groggy teenager asked, lifting a hand to her head and wincing.

"Oh my God." Little Rock's voice came from the doorway. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared into the bedroom.

"Someone go get her some water." Wichita said as she sat down next to Chicago.

"Still waiting for an explanation for what the hell is going on right now." The girl grumbled, massaging her temples.

"You and Little Rock got attacked on the road and she accidentally-" Chicago cut her off.

"Hit me in the head with the gun. Yeah, I remember now. How long have I been out?"

"A couple days." Tallahassee answered, still a bit surprised that she was up and talking.

"_Days?" _Chicago practically yelled, then winced again. Wichita noticed.

"How are you feeling? Do you want something to eat?" The older of the two girls asked.

"I feel like someone broke my skull open with a gun. And no, that feeling doesn't give me a very big appetite." She retorted bitterly.

"Alright, I get that you're upset; I would be too. But don't you _dare _take any of it out on her. She was trying to save you and if it wasn't for what she did, you would be a snarling, ravenous freak by now." Wichita whispered in anger.

"I didn't plan on it. Excuse me for not being in the best mood." Chicago grumbled, standing up from the bed and nearly falling again. It was obvious her balance was off.

"You have to have a concussion." Wichita said in concern as she stood to help the younger girl. Chicago shrugged her off and used the wall for support as she started making her way towards the bathroom.

Despite the death glare she got, Wichita still assisted Chicago across the hall, to the bathroom. Finally, the teenager turned around to look at her again. "I can piss on my own." She growled, shutting the door behind herself. Nevertheless, Wichita remained outside until she finished. Little Rock had appeared outside the doorway as well, holding a glass of water. Chicago have smiled, half grimaced at her and took it, grateful for the drink.

"Are you alright?" Little Rock asked as she walked beside the slightly taller girl.

"I'm fine kid. Don't worry about it. And thanks…..for saving me and all." Chicago said, keeping her hand on the wall in case she lost her balance again. Wichita could tell she was trying to be inconspicuous about it.

Little Rock smiled, obviously relieved, and then made sure Chicago got back to her bed alright. She then nodded at both the teenager and her sister before going to join Tallahassee and Columbus downstairs.

"Thanks." Wichita said as soon as her younger sister was out of earshot.

"Yeah, whatever." Chicago grumbled, lying back down on the bed. She rubbed her temples again and sighed.

"You know, you should really eat something soon." Wichita said as she stood and left the room. Columbus pretended not to hear her and then closed her eyes. The older girl shook and head, but didn't say anything else and left the room.

* * *

><p>"I can't fucking believe it." Tallahassee said as she set about taking apart one of his pistols to clean it. Columbus and Little Rock both nodded and then looked up as Wichita entered the kitchen and joined them at the table.<p>

"How is she?" Columbus asked, yawning. It was after all, the middle of the night.

"She says she's fine." Wichita replied, not wanting her little sister to think otherwise. Her boyfriend nodded.

"We got lucky. She woke up just in time." Tallahassee said. The cowboy still didn't seem to believe what had happened.

"Would you guys really have shot her if she hadn't?" Little Rock asked suddenly. No one spoke for a few seconds.

"Why don't we stop talking about this? Because she _did _wake up. And that's what's important. Now, I'm thinking we go out of a food run tomorrow, get some supplies to hold us over until she's mobile again. And then as soon as she's feeling up to it, we start towards Chicago again." Wichita said. The rest of the table nodded in agreement.

"What's she want to do in Chicago anyway?" Tallahassee asked. Wichita shrugged along with the rest of them, feeling bad for keeping the secret from the rest of them. But she knew if she told them, Chicago would leave as soon as she could.

"Alright, enough talking. Let's at least try to get some sleep before tomorrow." Wichita said, getting up from the table. The other three in the room nodded and followed. Within 10 minutes, everyone in the house was asleep once again.

_**Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Things have been crazy lately. But I'll try to update a lot sooner! Please leave a review!**_


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